Spain were absolutely brilliant throughout this World Cup, except the game against Japan. In the final, they were great again, with Aitana, Teresa Abelleira, Olga Carmona and Jenni Hermoso, to name just a few, playing very well. At just 19, Salma Paralluelo is a rising star with great skill and athleticism. Their squad depth is amazing, and I think Spain were the only nation that could field 11 different starters and still win the World Cup. I've been predicting this for a long time, and it's hard to believe that until this tournament, they never won a KO game at a World Cup. They made the semis of the Euros in 1997 with some decent results, in what must have been a freakish aberration of the standard Spanish team around that time. It must've been around 2010-2015 when their youth teams started winning several tournaments. Luis Rubiales shouldn't have kissed Hermoso so provocatively. Don't know much about him, but from what I've seen, he just comes across so out of place with a character like that as RFEF boss.
If there's one thing I'm certain of in this saga, other than it leading to a tainting of the Spanish victory that the players do not remotely deserve, it is that a similarly senior official to Luis Rubiales in the English FA would have been gone within 24 hours if he had behaved in that manner. Personally, I think the question of whether Jenni Hermoso consented to being kissed in the manner that she was has to be left to other agencies to consider, as is now happening. But it seems to me to be impossible to argue that his behaviour as a whole in Sydney was anything other than inappropriate and I cannot understand, particularly in the context of the combined Iberian bid for the 2030 men's World Cup and the reputational damage that has already been done to Spanish football, why he hasn't already gone.
Generally I agree. I have to admit to thinking this was all being blown out of proportion when the quotes attributed to Hermoso came out but she's now claiming she never said that and the Spanish federation have made them up. If this is the case then that's an even more serious issue than the kiss, for me. The kiss by itself could have been resolved with an admission of wrong doing and a genuine apology, we could have all moved on with our lives.
That kiss was grossly inappropriate, would he have kissed Iker Casillas when the men won the World Cup? He sexualised the whole thing, as if the women haven’t got enough obstacles in their way.
It was, but not something that can't be moved past. It's the refusal to admit any wrongdoing, refusal to apologise and the ridiculous attempt to fabricate a statement from the player that has escalated this to the situation it's in now.
Obviously this is over more than just a one off kiss and there have been battles lines drawn for a while. You feel if they had got on ok he would have apologised and admitted his error by now .
Haven't they also got a big issue with the conduct of their manager? There's footage of the manager squeezing one of the coach's breasts during the final too. Not an awkward brush past but a grab. There's no need for his hand to be there. Seems like there's a toxic culture and the players have finally got the public exposure and the video evidence to prove it. If this is how their president reacts when there's conclusive, publicly available video footage of his behaviour, you can see why the players would have kept quiet for so long because there's absolutely no chance anything would have been done about any allegation. And they'd probably be punished for daring to speak up.
I think Rubiales and the manager are like brothers in arms which doesn’t help and back each other up no matter what as seen with the previous players revolting and quitting the squad saga.
Yeah this is a textbook example of what can happen when a culture of toxic masculinity is prevalent amongst men who have a position of power over a group of women. 'Little' micro assaults go on all the time - a bum feel here, a boob grab there, inappropriately tight hugs, kisses where they aren't wanted and the situation doesn't justify it, constant innuendo and 'flirting' etc. And if anything is said against it, it's just dismissed as being affectionate and the complainant being over sensitive and woke. Or simply completely denied. Everyone covers for each other and the women don't have enough power or influence to do anything about it without reprisals. Good that it seems to be finally getting exposed and those responsible should eventually get what's coming to them. There's simply too much international pressure for them to be able to ride it out now.
Mail now trying to stir the pot and make out she was laughing and joking about the incident post game . Jenni Hermoso appears to laugh and joke about Luis Rubiales kissing her on the team bus after Women's World Cup final in new footage - before team-mates chant 'kiss' when the Spanish chief gets on board | Daily Mail Online
Look, he was in the wrong at every stage of this. But banning him from even attending a football match for three years? Seems ridiculous to me. Are we going to start banning everyone that kisses another person without consent? He's lost his job, isn't that punishment enough?
